Surface and subsurface water vehicles are used in a variety of naval and civilian activities. These vehicles, such as ships, typically include bulkhead structures that divide functional areas into sections, and also provide structural support for the vehicle. These sections may be used as watertight compartments that can contain water in instances where there is a leak or some sort of hull breach. The sections may also be used as fireproofed compartments for preventing the spread of smoke and fire. In order to provide these safety functions, the compartments typically comprise thick steel walls.
Wireless communication provides the capability of reconfiguring critical control system information for mission essential tasks. However, radio frequency signals have great difficulty in penetrating the steel walls of ships. The compartmentalized steel bulkhead structure is an excellent conductor, and when an electric field enters such a conductor, it collapses entirely and is severely attenuated. It is desired to have wireless communications arrangements that accommodate for the thick compartment walls and properly transmit radio frequency signals through the bulkhead. It is further desired to overcome this problem without physical penetration of the bulkhead, because physical penetration leads to the weakening of the reinforcement as well as increased labor costs.